


few minutes without barrier

by braigwen_s



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Almost But Not Quite Talking About Feelings, Gen, Momboss and Detectiveson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-07-31 16:23:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20118040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/braigwen_s/pseuds/braigwen_s
Summary: It was the liminal, vulnerable few minutes between Day Shift and Night Shift, when the Station was most vulnerable to attack.  Lin and Mako were the only officers there.





	few minutes without barrier

It was the liminal, vulnerable few minutes between Day Shift and Night Shift, when the Station was most vulnerable to attack. Lin and Mako were the only officers there. She wandered a few steps from her office into the bullpen. Stretched with a grimace. Her back was killing her; she should invest in a sleep schedule.

Then again, so should the skinny twenty-one-year-old with a pen still in his hand.

She let her boots click on the ground as she walked over, and his head snapped up into a miniature attention. “Chief!” he said.

She sat on the empty desk nearest to his. With a confused sort of frown, he mimicked her relax in position, putting the pen down and slouching, just a little. “How are you doing, kid?” she asked.

His face gave a guilty twist. “I haven’t finished that report on the East Side case yet, sorry Chief, but I’m up-to-date on -”

She held up a hand for silence, and his nervous rambling cut off. “I didn’t mean with work,” she said. He curled one hand into a fist. She continued - the kid had seen her half-dead and in Zaofu. She didn’t have much of a reputation to lose, to him. “I know that it’s difficult for you, not to have Bolin around.”

His shoulders hunched, and the other fist clenched as well. “All due respect,” he said, “I don’t want to talk about this.”

She had expected that. If she was honest with herself, it relieved her - she doubted he could hate to speak about it more than her. “Alright, kid,” she said. “If you ever change your mind, I’m here. Runaway little siblings and stuff.”

Mako cast his eyes down and nodded. Lin looked over at the clock - two minutes before Night Shift came.

“Don’t fret about that report,” she said, sliding to her feet, “better late and decent than on-time and shoddy.”

He nodded again, but picked up his pen anyway. Something compelled her to say it -

“You don’t give yourself enough credit.”

She knew that he looked up again, but she already out the door. Night Shift tended to give her dirty looks when she was still working, not even mentioning about when she went for caffeine. Rather it happen to Mako than her. Maybe it would make him go to bed.

She didn’t a need baby-sitter, but jury was still out on him.

**Author's Note:**

> You know the drill, toss a comment to your author.


End file.
